The co-founder of the popular Denver Comic Con is calling for a state investigation into the event's financial dealings after his departure from the organization.

The 3-year-old, comic book-centered gathering — which doubled its attendance at the Colorado Convention Center in 2013 to 61,000— is a programming arm of Comic Book Classroom, a nonprofit that teaches literacy and art skills through comic books.

Charlie La Greca, co-founder of Comic Book Classroom and the Denver Comic Con, launched the SaveDenverComicCon.com website Wednesday, claiming that funds from the convention have not been used properly for educational programs.

"There are allegedly up to $300,000 in revenues from the 2013 DCC alone that remain unaccounted for," La Greca told The Denver Post. "And some of which appear to be funneled towards high-profile legal posturing."

Current CBC and DCC leaders say La Greca initiated the lawyering-up.

"Charlie's main complaint is that he's been excluded," Comic Book Classroom president Bruce Macintosh said Wednesday. "So, since he's not been here, how could he see those figures? He has no official knowledge of any numbers."

Macintosh was referring to "fabricated" figures such as the $1.8 million
La Greca estimated as the revenue from the 2013 convention yet to be applied toward nonprofit programming.

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Macintosh also said La Greca voluntarily stepped down from the board last year to draw a $10,000 contract salary for design work.

A 990 tax form for 2012, the most recently available year, showed gross receipts of $494,930 for Comic Book Classroom, all of which Macintosh said was reinvested into the nonprofit.

He also said La Greca was the only person who was paid for convention work. All other positions were volunteer.

La Greca has long held that he and longtime buddy Frank Romero are the sole co-founders of both the CBC and DCC.

Romero resigned from the board earlier this year because of what a CBC statement called "personal reasons."

The SaveDenverComicCon.com site and related social media generated hundreds of comments Wednesday. Some fans pledged to attend a "town-hall style" meeting Sunday at which SaveDenver ComicCon.com members will air their concerns.

"It is my hope that this all clears up in the best possible way, as this convention has made my pride as a Coloradoan swell," wrote Facebook user Katherina Burkett. "The reason why I was attracted to this con in the first place was because it was a fundraiser for Comic Book Classroom."